Ron

...will he begin his second term by complaining about the mess he's inherited?

In the months leading up to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (known colloquially as Obamacare), President Obama and the Democrats insisted on numerous occasions that the individual mandate was absolutely not a tax. Instead, they argued that the power to impose the mandate was enumerated to Congress under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.

Today, the Supreme Court ruled that the individual mandate is not constitutional under the Commerce Clause, but can be considered constitutional on the basis that it is by definition a tax.

Assuming that you consider the passage of the ACA to be in your best interest, are you comfortable with having been lied to for your own benefit? Is lying justifiable when it's in the service of a greater good?

Would you agree with the assertion that, in 2010, a black American is far more likely to be addressed with the "N-word" by other black people than by white people? And if you agree with that, what do you think it says about the progress of race relations and civil rights in America?

Follow up question for black Americans: In your personal experience, what would you say is the ratio? By that I mean, how often have you been addressed with this term by whites vs. blacks?

Please try to be polite in your response, this is a sincere question. I ask this question because I've recently started exploring a lot of hip-hop music, and I'm disturbed by how often I hear that word; a word my parents raised me to despise, and which I am very uncomfortable hearing.

People who don't hold the same political views as I do are so stupid and evil, why is that? Allow me to illustrate:

> They only care about the interests of their own demographic. They expect the rest of us to pay for their selfish mistakes; and so long as they get theirs, the rest of the country can suck it.

> They believe everything their media outlet of choice tells them.

> They scramble to exploit any minor scandal involving politicians on my side of the aisle, no matter how inconsequential or ill-supported; while at the same time making excuses for far more serious scandals involving politicians on their side of the aisle.

> They do everything in their power to prevent black people from rising to a level of true equality in this country.

> They gather in the park carrying racist/anti-Semitic signs and few of them seem to agree on exactly what it is they're rallying against; never mind what they might be rallying *for*.

> They claim their movement has no formal organization or leadership, but we can all see the corporate fat-cats pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

> They think it's fine to play the race card in defense of one of their own politicians, but as soon as one of the other side's politicians does it, they're deeply offended.

See what I mean? They call us stupid and evil, but it's obviously *they* who are stupid and evil. I mean, just look at them and what they do! Why oh why are they like this?!?

I'm thinking along the lines of Troll 2, Birdemic, The Room, Manos: The Hands Of Fate... movies that are so bad that they actually become entertaining in a masochistic sort of way.

Name as many as you like, but specify your favorite. Extra points for titles that did *not* appear on Mystery Science Theater 3000, and extra *extra* points for titles that are currently streaming on Netflix.

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Just as a bit of extra commentary, I think of the four titles I mentioned, Troll 2 really stands out. The other three are simply painful. The agony of enduring them is what makes the experience, and it's an agony that's best shared by a room full of drunk people. But while Troll 2 is also painful in its way, the pain is lessened somewhat by the fact that the film is completely bug-nuts insane. Nothing makes sense, the premise is bizarre, everything is way over the top, and the acting is so bad it's like some of them aren't even in the same movie. Not to mention the complete lack of trolls in the film. I don't need a room full of drunks to enjoy Troll 2... I'll watch it any time, with anyone who wants to!

LA Times:

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China demands U.S. 'live within its means'

The largest foreign holder of U.S. treasuries responds to the S&P downgrading by calling for decreases in U.S. military outlays and social spending...

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fiw-china-respo...

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What does it mean that Communist China and extreme-right Teabaggers are on the same page here?

For example, see this question:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Anbr....

I know those are supposed to be Japanese characters, but on both my WinXP and Win7 systems, they appear either as a box with hex values inside, or as empty boxes, depending on what browser I'm using:

Firefox 5: http://www.the-mosi.net/JPcharFF.jpg

IE8: http://www.the-mosi.net/JPcharIE.jpg

When I go to Add/Remove Programs, I can see that "Japanese Language Support" is listed. What do I have to do to make those appear correctly?

Before I get into it... I am an atheist. But I don't consider myself a Christian-basher at all. I try to treat people with the same respect I desire from them. And when I respond to questions on Y!A regarding atheism or Christianity, I try to do so with that same air of respect and open-mindedness. So hopefully you're not automatically on the defensive with this question, because my curiosity is genuine and sincere. I promise you, I come in peace. :-)

Here's the thing: I've known a lot of Christians in my life. But I've never met one who didn't appear to pick and choose which passages from the OT apply to them, and which don't. For example, I see many Christians condemning homosexual behavior based on passages in Deutoronomy and Leviticus, but those same people don't seem to have a problem with eating pork or wearing mixed fabrics. Many of them have tattoos, and I've never heard a Christian call for the execution of a non-virginal bride. The OT is pretty clear on these points, from what I've seen.

So my questions are:

1. Do you consider some parts of the OT to be a part of Christian theology, and other parts to be obsolete?

2. If so, how do you determine where to draw the line? What is your specific Scriptural basis for declaring one passage the Word of God and another to be overruled or outdated?

Thank you in advance for your responses. Fellow atheists, chime in if you like but try to be constructive.

July 1st, all the Star Trek series except for Deep Space Nine (which comes October 1st) will be available on Netflix streaming. The original series and Enterprise will be in HD.

Are you psyched?

Some more detail: I just purchased a Samsung HDTV and the only audio output it has is optical (Toslink) digital. I have a powered set of analog studio monitors I'd like to run the audio through. What is my least expensive option for converting the HDTV's digital output (bearing in mind it may be putting out Dolby 5.1) to an analog signal suitable for my monitors?

I've been looking at this item:

http://www.amazon.com/Gefen-GTV-DD-2-AA-GefenTV-Di...

But I'd love to know if there's a better option.

I have a video that was shot 4:3 open matte, but intended for projection matted to 1.66:1. I would like to convert this image to another format (mp4, mkv, whatever), adding hard mattes in the process. Is there any Windows software out there that will do this?

My question: Is George W. Bush to blame for this sudden outburst of violence? After all, we hold him responsible for introducing his twisted neo-con version of so-called "freedom" and "self-determination" to the Iraqis; perhaps he has planted a very dangerous idea in the minds of the Arab street? Were it not for Bush's arrogance, would the protesters in Egypt and elsewhere know to keep their place and honor the authority of their leaders? After all, even Vice President Biden has said that Mubarak is not a dictator.

(Then again, it could also be Sarah Palin's fault, with her violent rhetoric and all. They get Twitter in the Middle East, don't they?)

And does it say anything about Hollywood that they weren't?

http://oscar.go.com/nominations

http://www.examiner.com/civil-rights-in-phoenix/ph...

CNN is trying to move away from using horrifyingly violent terms like "cross-hairs"... if that's off the list, what words commonly used in political parlance are we allowed to use anymore? Are any of these terms still acceptable?

cross-hairs

crossfire

campaign (a military term)

target

enemy

battleground states

hard-fought victory

bullet points

to "kill" a piece of legislation

shot down

under the gun

hit them where it hurts

to "fire" someone

weapons at our disposal

arsenal

majority whip

bully pulpit

cutting remarks

take a stab at something

fire off a few questions

take aim at a problem

go off half-c*cked

dead on arrival

and of course, the worst thing a human being could possibly say... blood libel

I just want to make sure nothing I say triggers a killing spree. Oh crap, did I just say trigger? Sorry... next one's on me, I guess.

This is directed toward those who claim to "hate" Sarah Palin, which we seem to be hearing a lot around here lately. I'm not a fan of Palin, and I sure as heck don't ever want to see her within 100 miles of the White House, but my attitude towards her doesn't come anywhere close to hatred. That's an emotion I typically reserve for child molesters, white supremacists, etc. To witness the level of seething hatred this woman appears to inspire in some... it confuses me. I don't get it.

In fairness to those who harbor such feelings, I prefer to ask rather than assuming anything about their motivations. I hope you'll take this question in that spirit.

So if you hate Sarah Palin, why? Please cite specific qualities or actions that you consider hate-worthy. And if possible, try to name someone else you also hate for the same reasons. (For example, if you hate her because she's stupid, are there other stupid people you hate? Do you hate all stupid people?) Can you name someone who exhibits those qualities, or has committed those actions, who you do not hate?

Like many of you, we here in New England find ourselves under several inches of snow this morning, with more to come. I had a very difficult time getting to work, and saw many cars either stuck on the side of the road or involved in accidents. It's a real mess out there.

My question is, how can I blame this on Sarah Palin and the racist rhetoric of the Tea Party? Surely there must be a way; these sorts of things don't just happen.

One is the rejection of an assertion. The other is an assertion of the opposite. Are they equivalent? Is it the same to say "I have no reason to accept the existence of God as fact" as it is to say "I am absolutely confident that nowhere does there exist a being we might reasonably call God"?

As a follow up, does either require substantiating evidence?

http://gawker.com/5714043/the-creepy-lovesick-emai...

In 2004, a 33-year-old Julian Assange met a 19-year-old girl, taking a romantic interest in her that was not reciprocated. This led to a string of emails from Assange to the girl, along with numerous phone calls to her parents' house (she hadn't given Assange her number, and he would not tell her how he got it). The emails and phone calls continued even after she insisted he stop contacting her. Gawker has recently made the emails public; see the link above.

Setting aside Gawker's characterization of these emails as "creepy," what are your feelings about this leak? Is what's good for the goose also good for the gander? Or is the release of a private citizen's correspondence off-limits?

When giving someone the middle finger, which method do you prefer:

1. The fist method: http://tinyurl.com/dxrmwt

2. The knuckle/thumb method: http://tinyurl.com/2dlm53y

(Note: Neither of those images is mine.)

Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington recorded a special podcast for the troops overseas. Does anyone know if this is available for download anywhere?